Master Of None

While Walker meditated under the moonlight, he suddenly felt a pressure on his back. His quick glance made him even more shocked. "Alice, you are supposed to be in one of the carriages with the high priest! Are all of you in there crazy enough to keep coming out?" Alice didn't know that the king had come out but she did know that Walker was just worried that she would be in a dangerous position. 

In response to him, she pushed her back against his again and used him as a back rest to sit up. "I will walk tomorrow." This was even more of a shock to Walker. He knew that she had trained herself so that she would be able to defend herself if worst came to worst during the journey. But he had believed that she would remain safely in the carriages without any risk to herself. 

"I-" He was going to argue with her but found that she was completely stopped by her glaring at him and turning her head. There was nothing he could do to change her mind. "Then, at the very least stay close to me or Su. I don't want you to get hurt if we run in to any more of those ice slimes. I think they are everywhere in the plains." 

There was the bonus of having another healer to be able to keep everyone positive and safe from injuries. However, it came at the risk of having to defend against enemies. Alice might not be able to beat a monster at her level or stronger. This was because she had a weaker body than most others did. It was all too common for healers to be weaker, thus the reason for them staying with the church unless they were a battle healer. 

What really convinced Walker in the end was the fact that he had not been able to experience the songs she had written just yet. Alice had been adamant about training alone so that she could better focus herself on what the songs would do with the light. Her skills made the light elemental mana react to her voice but getting control over that was very hard. Therefore, focused training was key. 

When Walker started to meditate again he was painfully aware of Alice drifting off to sleep while leaning against him. Fleur seemed to not mind and spread out on Walker's shoulder and Alices' shoulder. "You really are starting to learn from Onyx and Midnight too much. Next thing I know you will make the top of my head a pillow." His teasing was ignored by Fleur but still met with her rolling around a little while still trying to absorb more natural mana. 

It was good to see Onyx return and rest near Midnight. Walker had a slight worry that Onyx would exhaust himself with training to get stronger. He was very proud that Onyx had a goal to meet but it didn't mean that he wanted Onyx to burn himself out to accomplish it. 

"Leader, it's time to get moving." Su was shaking Walker's shoulder to wake him up. He had drifted asleep while meditating only to find that he was the last to get up and finish up the camp breakdown. Alice was standing next to Su with a smirk before handing him breakfast. "You should have told me that Alice would be walking with us. She can help boost our speed with her song of haste." 

"She showed you her songs?" Walker was surprised that this had somehow come up while he was still sleeping. 

"Yes, she showed me one. Clara was very glad to hear it this morning. It can cut two whole days from our journey with Alice singing her songs. Remey already prepared mana potions for her and even a honey tea for her voice when we stop for a break. Everyone else will need to toughen up and be ready for a hard few days." So much had happened so early in the morning. The sun had barely risen and they had already made plans for the next few days. 

After looking up, Walker found that Gil had taken Onyx on top of a carriage and was instructing him on how to look out for distant enemies. It was interesting seeing that Gil was taking a teaching role for Onyx. Although, it was clear that this was a good thing for Onyx to learn. Onyx was mainly a supporter for the party and being able to better spot an enemy and evaluate the situation would only make him and them better.

"Midnight, how are you feeling about guarding Alice for me? It looks like she is going to sit with Clara but I want to be safe than sorry." Midnight knew how Walker felt and nodded her head seriously. She also cared for Alice since she had seen the effort put in to healing others. Out of everything Midnight had learned during the visits to the cathedral, the caring attitude was one she took more seriously. Alice had this therefore Midnight would do her best to support and protect it. All other feelings aside, Midnight was ready for the day and her new task. 

"Walker, I need more of the stored health potions. The faster speed will be harder on everyones' feet. We need to make sure that they are healed properly." Remey had taken full control over how everyone would be maintaining pace and health. He also noticed that the old master alchemist had left whatever carriage he was from and was also distributing potions. He didn't know why everyone was ignoring the safety of a carriage but he decided to just accept it at this point. 

The moment that Alice opened her mouth and began to sing a slow song, a calming light reflected Around them. This brought energy throughout everyones' body causing their legs to feel lighter than usual. Alice's song of haste was more than what they had expected. "Alight, we are cutting two days from our journey today. Let's push through!" Clara shouted and the carriage set off at a much greater pace. 

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